Day 3 - December 31, 2012

        On December 31 the farm visit that we had planned did not work due to rain the previous night and the road was too muddy for the bus to get there.  We spent our day touring around the town of Santa Rosa.  We went to the town center or square where the majority of their shops are located. We went to a Gaucho store which is similar to our Western clothing stores where they sell the clothing and other items that the gauchos use. It was very interesting to see the differences in what they use compared to what a cowboy in the U.S. would use. They use a lot of rawhide; their ropes and headstalls/halters are made of rawhide. Some students purchased items to give as gifts to people at home. There were also stores similar to the ones in the U.S. where you could buy clothes and many other items.  In the center of town they have a plaza with a statue dedicated to San Martin, a famous war figure who helped them gain their independence.

Most of us ate at a pizzeria.  It was a fun experience trying to order in spanish and trying to understand the menu.  Some people were slightly surprised when their order came.  The pizza is good but different, it has less sauce, a crust more like a flatbread, and comes with one green olive on each slice.  We have also learned to order water sin gas so that we don't get carbonated water.

Many of us also walked over to a nearby lake and park.  Two braves jumped in the lake.  The park was slightly run down with a few stray dogs and horses. There were people roller blading along the streets and people windsurfing on the lake.  The locals seemed to be enjoying the beautiful weather, as were we.

We celebrated the new year at the Fossati's home.  They were very gracious hosts.  They had a ton of food which was all delicious.  Some of the students showed the families how to jitterbug and two-step.  There were also fireworks throughout the town at midnight to help ring in the new year.  We all wished each other a "muy feliz ano nuevo."

Some students chose to go with the Fossati's daughters who are close to our age to a New Years dance. It was fun to see the culture and social interactions of the locals of our own age. The dance was at huge building called "The Castlle" there were approximately 10,000 people at the event. People were dancing inside and outside and even though we could not understand the music we all had a great time.
Overall the day was both fun and relaxing!

-Tom Erickson & Jerylin Reed